Trump's Latest Iran Threat & Samantha Murphy Trial Update

0:00You're listing two. I'm on the media podcast. Good morning. I'm Claire Murphy. Welcome to the Quixie. The very last time Samantha Murphy's family can verify that she was alive, was around 7 a.m. on the morning of February 4, 2024. There's a still image from a CCTV camera that police released of the 51-year-old, dressed in the active way that she'd usually put on ahead of her run. But while that image might be the last time we were able to confirm that she was okay, it wasn't the last time she was seen alive, and tomorrow, the person who allegedly saw her last will be on trial. Before we get you back up to date with the case, here's the latest from the Quixie Newsroom Tuesday, April 7. US Today's show host, Savannah Guthrie, has returned to the show after more than two months away from the desk following the alleged abduction of her mother Nancy. She only acknowledged her return in a five-word statement at the start of the show. And it is good to be home. Yes, it is good to have you back at home.

1:00However, when she joined her colleagues on the Today Show Plaza where she met with fans, her stoic facade began to crack as she saw them wearing yellow ribbons and shirts in a show of support for her mom, yellow representing the victims of a hostage situation. These signs are so beautiful. You guys have been so beautiful. I've received so many letters, so much kindness to me and my whole family. We feel it. We feel your prayers. So thank you so much. Guthrie's 82-year-old mother hasn't been seen since January 31. Believe to have been taken from her home in Tucson on February 1 by a masked man seen on her Ring Doorbell camera. All attempts to find her have been unsuccessful despite the Guthrie family offering a $1 million reward for her safe return. Aussies are reportedly turning to e-bikes as a mode of transport as rising fuel prices see them leaving the car at home. While the data on e-bikes sale increases remains anecdotal at this stage, many companies are reporting an increase in interest in the bikes with one shop owner in Melbourne saying their sales have quadrupled in recent weeks, the store owner saying when petrol

2:04hit $2.50 a litre they saw an immediate jump in sales. Energy Minister Chris Bowen yesterday announced Australia had secured fuel supply into May, securing orders beyond a previous mid-April horizon. It followed the federal government's decision to halve taxes on petrol and diesel and an agreement by states to pass on an expected GST windfall. But the combined savings worth more than 30 cents a litre have not offset the impact of high oil prices due to Iran's restriction of supply through the state of Humours. US President Donald Trump has called an Iranian peace proposal significant but not good enough. US officials have been negotiating with Iran indirectly through Pakistan, attempting to get a deal in which Iran will agree to hold any nuclear weapons production and reopen the strait of Humours. Iran said it wanted a permanent end to the war, not just a temporary ceasefire. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Eshmel Bakhaye saying that Iran's demands should not be interpreted as a sign of compromise but rather as a reflection of its confidence in defending its positions. Trump said if it were up to him,

3:08the United States would just take control of Iran's oil but said, unfortunately, the American people would like to see us come home. If it were up to me, he said, I'd take the oil, I'd keep the oil. I would make plenty of money and I'd also take care of the people of Iran much better than they've been taken care of. The four astronauts of NASA's Artemis 2 mission have reached the furthest point than any human has been from Earth. The Artemis 2 crew flying in their Orion capsule since launching from Florida last week awoke for their sixth flight day to a recorded message from later Apollo 8 and 13 astronaut Jim Lovell that said, welcome to my old neighborhood. It's a historic day and I know how busy you'll be but don't forget to enjoy the view, good luck and God's speed. The four-person crew Commander Reed Weissman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Kristina Kosh and Canadian Space Agency mission specialist Jeremy Hanson began their lunar fly by mission, naming two new craters seen on the moon's surface, one for their spacecraft and the other for Weissman's late wife Carol.

4:08Yeah, from the cabin of integrity here is we surpass the furthest distance humans have ever traveled from planet Earth. We do so in honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration. We will continue our journey even further into space before Mother Earth succeeds in pulling us back to everything that we hold here. But we most importantly choose this moment to challenge this generation in the next to make sure this record is not long lived. The multi-billion dollar series of Artemis missions aims to return astronauts to the moon's surface by 2028, establishing a long-term US presence over the next decade and building a moon base that would serve as a proving ground for potential future missions to Mars. That's what's happening in the world today next, the case of missing Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy. We get you up to speed as her alleged killer goes to trial.

5:14It's Sunday, February 4th, 2024, and Samantha Murphy is getting ready to go for a run. It's something she does regularly, taking to the trails around her home in Ballarat, the Victorian town just over 100 kilometers west of Melbourne. It's a hot day. The Mercury's forecast hit 36 degrees, but despite this, Samantha tells her friends she still plans to run through the Warucarung Regional Park, known to locals as the Canadian forest. Later that day, her friends call her husband Mick, they're concerned. She hasn't turned up for their planned brunch, where is she? By the next day, Victorian police are appealing for information from the public. They know from Samantha's mobile phone data that she had reached the Mount Clear area on her run, but from there, nothing. On Wednesday, February 7, police released CCTV footage of who they believe is Samantha Murphy running past her home near her house. But a member of the public comes forward and says, no, that's me. That's not Samantha. On the Thursday, four days after Samantha goes missing, her family issued this emotional plea.

6:21After this, the missing person's squad took over. At this stage, they haven't ruled out that Samantha may have left her own accord, police saying there's nothing to suggest that anything sinister has happened. They widen the search to the Bun in Young area, after they see Samantha's phone pinged a tower nearby. But there are no sightings of the missing woman. 10 days after she went missing, Victoria police changed their messaging around Samantha's disappearance. Now they admit things aren't adding up. They say the family is cooperating, but won't save Samantha's husband, Mick, is a suspect, knowing the police traditionally turn to investigate a spouse first in situations like this. On Friday, February 23, while announcing

7:24a search of the Mount Clear area, acting detective Superintendent Mark Hat says it's now very doubtful that Samantha Murphy is still alive. On a particular day, we have ruled out that she suffered any sort of medical episode and we have no information to suggest that she left the area of her own accord. We do have severe concerns and I'm very doubtful that she's still alive. The search for Samantha now turns into a search for her remains. Using her mobile phone data, they map her potential movements as up to 40 detectives scour the area just south of her home. A volunteer search is also held with hundreds of locals turning out to help, but still, there's no trace of her. We spoke back then with the mayor of Ballarat about just how deeply this was impacting the local community. I think when things like this happen, there's probably going to be a change to probably how people feel and maybe that heightened sense of awareness around the activities we do. Things like this can bring up fear and we recognise that we can't just fix

8:28that overnight, but Ballarat's a pretty close-knit community and it's definitely just one of the worst tragedies we've seen here, I think. Investigators also track Samantha's Apple Watch, finding that the SOS function was never activated, but it did track her run to mount clear, but they say the GPS data seems to have been disrupted. Then on Wednesday, March 6, more than a month after Samantha went for that run, detectives from Victoria Police's missing person squad arrive at a home in Ballarat at around 6 in the morning. There, they arrest an occupant, a 22-year-old man. The next day, Chief Commissioner Victoria Police Shane Patton announces they have someone in custody. We will be alleging that murder occurred at Mount Clear on the day she disappeared. In the interview with the suspect, he has not disclosed to police where Samantha's body is. He went on to say that the man that arrested was not known to Samantha or her family, and said Samantha's death was a deliberate and intentional act, but gave no details as to what

9:30exactly it happened. He also mentioned the impact the media attention had been on the family during this ongoing investigation. Since the outset in these cases, it's often that the family come under scrutiny. They were under intense scrutiny at the outset, and we Victoria Police said everyone should keep an open mind and let us go about our business. They have been cooperative with us, they have provided everything we needed, and they have had no involvement whatsoever in this matter. He doesn't disclose what led them to this particular suspect, only to say that it was great work by detectives and with help from members of the public. He also doesn't reveal the suspect's identity. Initially, this was suppressed by the courts. His lawyer arguing that his mental health needed to be protected, as did his right to a fair trial. But eventually, the interim suppression order is lifted, revealing the man to be Patrick Oren Stevenson. Stevenson's lawyer, saying of the order, It had nothing to do with any form of disrespect or disregard to the position of

10:32Miss Murphy or her family. The current media storm has now become inclusive of the family of the accused, and the defense intention to assist has only become far more destructive as a mechanism to the client. Stevenson's dad is former AFL player Oren Stevenson, who played football professionally for Richmond and Jolong. The Patrick Oren Stevenson had led a relatively quiet life away from the public eye his father's sporting fame brought. When he did finally appear in court, he pleaded not guilty to one count of murder. In June 2024, Samantha Murphy's credit cards, drivers license and iPhone were found at the bottom of a dam in Bun in Yong. Her phone was still in working order. Investigators have since twice taken Stevenson from his cell and back to the Victorian bushland near where Samantha Murphy disappeared, in the hopes he would lead them to her body. But neither the search in May or November 2025 turned up her remains. At no stage do investigators say that it was anything Stevenson told them in particular

11:32that led them to the search areas. The court has heard that there is an unprecedented volume of evidence connected to this case, including extensive CCTV and other material, which has led to delays in bringing the case to trial, both the defense and the prosecution needing time to review it all. Stevenson has remained in custody since his arrest, only appearing via video link at various hearings. Separate to the murder charge, Stevenson has also faced matters involving careless driving, driving under the influence and drug-related driving arising from a motorcycle crash in Ballarat in October the year before Samantha's death. Those charges are not a part of this case and have been listed separately. Stevenson maintains his innocence, and it's now up to the courts to decide whether he's telling the truth or not. Meanwhile, a family remains in a state of limbo, with Samantha still not found, the grief continues on with no closure. We'll keep you updated on the trial as it unfolds over the next six weeks. The quickie is produced by me Claire Murphy and

12:35Taylor Strano, a group executive producer is Alaria Brofi with audio production by Lu Hill and social production by Ellie Moore. Mama Mia acknowledges the traditional owners of land and waters that this podcast is recorded on.